Myself and I
by Xelkyrien
Summary: It has been a year since Guy became Shezow (6 months since the end of the show) and he's changed quite alot since then. After weeks of contemplation he makes a decision that changes his life, and his family's life, forever. Rated T for violence in potential future chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Self

**Author Note: Don't judge me too harshly for this. I was watching Shezow again. Seeing Guy's character development throughout the series, seeing him go from a jerky teenage boy to a hero got me wondering what that might eventually result in. I play alot of d &d and i was thinking along the lines of what could potentially happen as a result of alignment change. i'd say at the start of the show Guy is Chaotic Neutral and by the end he is Chaotic Good or Neutral Good. With such a drastic shift in alignment I felt he might feel guilty over the way he acted in the past and because of the fact that being Shezow was the catalyst to causing his alignment to change it would be natural to associate her with the good version of him and Guy with the selfish jerky version. You follow? **

**so, aye. that is why i wrote this. i hope at least some of you enjoy it.**

* * *

The sun peaked over the horizon in Megadale, golden rays of light falling across the city and causing the buildings to cast long dark shadows. The chaos of the day had yet to begin and the citizens were getting all the rest they could before they had to greet the morning.

Except for one.

Despite the early hour Guy Hamdon was awake and out of bed. Of note was the fact that said bed was nicely and neatly made. At one point that may have been practically unheard of, but it was becoming a commonality. Unfortunately, so was Guy's new habit of waking up long before the sun rose.

That, at least, was something he would rather not be doing though. Each night he tossed and turned and tried to get some sleep, to no avail. Recently, thoughts had been plaguing his mind. During the day he could push them down and distract himself with superhero business but when he tried to sleep those thoughts wormed their way back into his mind and kept him awake. Each day they got louder in his head and harder to ignore. This morning, like most mornings, he had simply given up on trying to sleep and got up, made his bed, grabbed his clothes and prepared to start the day.

He would begin with a shower and carefully avoid looking in the mirror. Then he would skip breakfast and brush his teeth, which usually lead to getting a glimpse of himself in the reflective glass over the sink. That is when progress slowed to a crawl. Guy would sigh and look down at his hands, carefully setting his toothbrush down, and then slowly turn his gaze back to his reflection. For a moment or two all he would do is stare forlornly at the face looking back at him. With the unpleasant thoughts came unpleasant feelings as well, feeling that he was looking at a stranger whenever he saw Guy in the mirror. He would try turning his head to look at his face from different angles. It never helped. He would try to lean in and examine his features; eyes, nose, lips, cheek bones, hair; to try to figure out exactly what it was about him that seemed out of place. He tried turning into Shezow and his mind quieted down. Eventually, he understood. And part of him wished he did not. Regardless, all understanding did was make those unpleasant thoughts and feelings that much stronger in his mind.

This morning he had reached his breaking point.

After going through the same routine he had been for the past who-even-knows-how-long Guy stood in front of the mirror with Shezow's face staring back at him, expression one of defeat and finality. He cast his gaze to the floor and quietly made his way back to his room and down into the She Lair. He stuck his head through the entrance and looked around for any sign of Kelly. She liked to wake up early and be ready on time and with another convention coming up he would not put it past her to be down in the lair at the crack of dawn working on her itinerary.

Thankfully, there was no sign of his twin. He let his gaze drift over to the super computer in the main section of the lair, wondering briefly if Sheila was actually awake. He had no idea if she even slept or not. His answer came when she spoke, "Guy? What are you doing awake so early?"

He sighed and stepped into the room, giving her a half-hearted wave, "Hey, Sheila…"

Guy rubbed his arm and looked away. This wasn't easy for him. He felt awkward and though she was a computer she had also become something of a friend and he honestly feared she might judge him. Still, he felt more comfortable talking to her about this than he would Kelly or Maz. So, with a deep breath to steady his nerves he asked, "Sheila, can I talk to you? I've… had some things on my mind recently. They're kind of personal."

The pair of pink lips on the computer screen that were Sheila set into a frown. It was not one that said she wanted no part of the discussion but instead signaled that she understood how serious this conversation was going to be. She then made a motion that appeared to be a nod and replied, "Of course."

Guy nodded as well and thanked her, slowly making his way to the chair in front of the computer console where he sat and stared up at the screen. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, unsure how to begin. He was scared, but he had already decided to do this. Besides, if he didn't voice these thoughts, these emotions, they were going to eat him alive. He took another deep breath and started, "We moved in here about a year ago. I've… changed a lot since then. I didn't notice the differences at first, not until I started thinking back on it, not until people started commenting on it. I'm hardly recognizable as the same Guy that I was when we met. Do you remember back when I first started being Shezow? There was that incident at the bank where I stole five hundred dollars to buy a video game. Had I not been Shezow I wouldn't have even considered returning the money and if by some miracle I didn't get caught I probably would have done it again. Now, the mere thought of stealing puts a bad taste in my mouth. Before I had the ring I wasn't very nice to Kelly either. I would tease her; make fun of her because she was a girl. Now we get along ok and I do actually appreciate her. Even this discussion we're having would have never happened a year ago. Even if I was having the same feeling back then I would have never considered talking about them. Or-"

Guy paused to rub his gloved forearm across his eyes, wiping away the tears that had begun falling from them before he continued, "-or crying over them. Back then I believed that it wasn't ok for a boy to cry. It's different now. I'm different. And I don't really feel like myself anymore. I don't feel like Guy. Guy wasn't a good person. He was a real jerk and more than once had he been told that if he kept that up his future wasn't very bright. Being Shezow has made me a better person. I like being Shezow a lot more than I like being Guy. I've been spending more and more time as her lately. Even when I'm not fighting villains I spend time driving around the city, at conventions or just walking down the street as Shezow. I just feel much more myself when I'm her. It's reached a point where I can't stand looking in the mirror as Guy because it feels like I'm staring at a stranger… I can't keep doing this…"

He went quiet again, wiping away more tears. He had been hurting on the inside, more than he had even realized. Every time he had looked at Guy he had felt a pang of pain in his heart. Just the thought was making his heart ache. Saying it out loud, all at once, had really put it in perspective for him. He simply could not continue this way anymore. Something had to be done and it needed to be done now. He knew what it was he had to do too, and to say it terrified him was the understatement of the century. If he went through with it, and he knew he would not be able to live with himself if he didn't, everything would change.

Wiping away the last few tears in the corners of his eyes and giving a resolute sigh he looked up at Sheila and told her, "Sheila… I can't be Guy anymore."


	2. Chapter 2: Blood

**Author Note: Sorry about not updating. Alot has been going on and I've been pretty depressed. Arguing with my boyfriend, my cat died, I have school to deal with. Its been a bad couple weeks. Some fair warning, I'm probably going to take a while to update this. I can really only write when I'm feeling the story. After this chapter we'll be having some more light-hearted stuff in the story and we've gotten past alot of the angst so I'll be writing chapters when I'm feeling up to writing them. Please be patient.**

* * *

"I understand."

Guy's eyes widened a little in surprise at Sheila's response. He had half been expecting her to try to talk him out of it. She had to know what his decision would entail.

"Y-you do?" he stuttered in surprise.

Sheila made another motion that was meant as a nod and began, "Yes. It's not going to be easy. If you're sure about this-"

"- I am." He interrupted. The supercomputer continued, "- then you're going to have to tell your parents that you're Shezow."

Guy sighed and leaned back in his chair, casting his gaze at the ground, "I know… I'm not sure how they'll take it. Last time it was just mom and she loved it but this time… I hope dad doesn't hate me…"

"They're your parents. They have to love you unconditionally no matter what." Sheila reassured him.

He looked up at the monitor and forced a half smiled saying, "I hope you're right."

Then Shezow stood and smoothed down the creases in his skirt from being seated and rocked back on his heels to examine the rest of his outfit before he continued, "Thanks, Sheila. I should get back to my room. I need some time to think over what I plan to say to them."

As he turned to leave Sheila pulled his attention back to the she lair's computer screen by saying his name. He gave a 'hmm?' in response to which she told him, "You should change back before you speak to your parents. It will help them believe your claims if they actually see you change into Shezow. This will be the last time you have to be Guy."

"Right… She-yeah." In a flurry of sparkles Shezow turned back into Guy Hamdon and immediately he felt that sharp pain in his heart again. He clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut tightly for a few minutes while he regained his composure before he made his way out of the She Lair.

* * *

Nervous. That was the best way to describe him right now. Guy had spent some time laying back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking over what he was going to say. Then he had gotten up and picked up his room, which had be far more clean that usual lately as well, to try to quell the sick feeling that had started rising in his throat. When he heard his mother call him downstairs for breakfast he had nearly jumped out of his skin. He was that on edge. But he called back that he would be down shortly and then he took to pacing back and forth from one end of his room to the other, carrying on an argument with himself in his mind. Or, more accurately, carrying on a war against his own fears.

Guy forced himself to take some deep breaths and left his room, not heading downstairs but instead making his way to the bathroom where he stood in front of the mirror and gazed into the pair of hazel eyes (see obit scott wade's tumblr page 25 for reference) that were gazing back at him. He stared at his face, Guy's face, taking in every little detail and allowing those all too familiar unpleasant thoughts and emotions fuel his determination. With new found courage Guy finally made his way downstairs and peaked into the dining room where only his mother and father remained and told them that he needed to talk to them about something important.

Now, however, all the courage he had mustered had evaporated into thin air with the three of them sitting in the living room to have their discussion. His mother was giving him a concerned look and his father's expression was unreadable. Now that he was actually facing them he was starting to doubt his ability to tell them. His mouth and throat felt very dry and his stomach was in knots. Guy was avoiding actually looking at them as much as possible, eyes directed at his hands which he was wringing nervously.

"Uh… I…" He tried to force the words out, but they seemed to be getting caught in his throat. He felt that sick feeling again, like he might throw up. He risked a glance at his mom and saw her giving him an encouraging look.

"Go on, sweetie. You know you can tell us anything, Guy." She assured him. He nodded wordlessly and gulped. There seemed to be less air in the room, or maybe he was just feeling a little light headed.

Taking a deep breath he squeezed his eyes shut and just said it, "Mom, Dad, I've been keeping a secret from you since we moved in here. I'm Shezow."

He forced his eyes open then, forced himself to look at his parents and see their reactions. His mother looked surprised but his father seemed to be in disbelief for a moment before he narrowed his eyes and started to say, "This joke's not-"

"-Its not a joke." Guy interrupted, standing up from the couch and extending the fist on which he had his power ring, "You go girl."

A flurry of sparkles and Shezow's signature symbol transformed Guy into Shezow right before their eyes. They both gasped and a shocked look took over their expressions.

His mother was first to recover. She smiled at him and clapped her hands together, "Oh, Guy, that's wonderful!"

"It is." He agreed, nodding a little and looking away as a small smile momentarily touched his lips at the positive reaction, though it faded as quickly as it came and he pressed on, "Being Shezow has been really good for me. It's made me a better person. You've both told me how different I've gotten since we first got here. I've been noticing it too lately and I've been thinking a lot about it. I'm… not the same person I used to be. It's been eating at me for weeks… I'm different. Being Shezow has made me different, made me better."

He took a deep breath and nervously wrung his hands again, biting his lower lip. His mom at least had been understanding up to this point but now he was reaching the part that he was not sure how even she would react to. He had gone this far though. There was no turning back now. All he could do was keep moving forward and hope for the best.

So he did.

"What I'm trying to say…" he went on, closing his eyes again and speaking quickly "… is that I don't feel like Guy anymore. I don't like to think about the person I used to be. A lot of things I did I find repulsive. I look in the mirror and all I see is a stranger. I'm not that person. I'm not Guy. I'm Shezow and… and that's who I'm staying. I can't be Guy anymore…"

The tear came back now, flooding past the walls that were his eyelids, cascading in a river down his cheeks and dripping off his jawline onto the living room carpet. He gripped the hem of his skirt tightly as he let out a choked cry and began sobbing. He was terrified of what his parents might be thinking right now. This had been a bad idea. How could he have expected them to accept something like this? They would surely hate him now. They might even decide to kick him out or send him away to some far off boarding school so they would not have to look at him anymore. What if-

Suddenly his thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he felt himself being enveloped in warmth and the scent of various herbs and incenses. A pair of arms were wrapped around him and he was being hugged into somebody. He allowed his eyes to open a little, just enough to see that it was his mother that was holding him. His eyes widened in surprised and he looked up at her. There was no hostility in her expression or her mannerisms, just understanding, compassion and acceptance.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry you've had to go through this alone. I can't even begin to imagine what that must have felt like, how hard it's been to be something you're not. But don't worry," Droosha Hamdon told her son, hugging him tightly. Then she stepped back, hands still firmly on his shoulders and looking him right in the eyes, "We're here for you. If this is what you need then it's what you'll have. You don't have to be Guy anymore if you don't want to. You're still our child and we still love you no matter what."

At her words Guy felt a weight lift off his shoulders and in the first time in a while he was actually happy. What she said had meant the world to him and he found himself speechless. A small smile formed on his face and he stared up at his mother, tearing still falling from the corner of his eyes, and she smiled back at him. It was a moment that seemed to last a life time, yet also to not last nearly long enough.

"Right, honey?" Droosha turned and asked Boxter, who had not said anything at all since Guy had transformed into Shezow. Guy too looked over at his father and saw the grim expression the man wore. His mouth was set in a tense line and eyes seemed to be a bit darker. He remained quiet for a few moments longer before he stood up and walked towards the door muttering, "I've got to go to work."

Both Guy and Droosha were stunned and then Guy's gaze fell to the floor and Droosha fixed the door where her husband had left with a glare.

He had been so happy and now… now he felt almost guilty. It seemed to Guy that his father didn't even want to be near him. He had clearly upset him.

Sensing her son's change in mood, Droosha turned back to him and gave him a comforting look. She squeezed his shoulder reassuringly and told him, "He just need some time. He'll come around."

Guy nodded half-heartedly. He wanted to believe that. He wanted to think that his father would accept him, but if he was being honest with himself he doubted that he ever would.

* * *

By the time Kelly returned to the house it was almost dinner. The sun was making its decent toward the horizon and giving everything it saw a slight orange hue. The sky and clouds were starting to change color as well, painted in shades of purple, pink, red and orange. It was a beautiful sight and yet somehow it felt almost sad.

There was a sorrow hanging in the air today, though Kelly had yet to notice it. She did not stop to admire the setting sun or reflect upon the odd mood it invoked. She was focused on the clipboard she was carrying, going over the list attached to it and making sure every item was checked off. She didn't look up as she entered the house and greeted her mother, "Hey, mom. I'm home."

"Welcome home, dear. Dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes." Was the reply she heard and she returned a thank you then continued on her way down to the She Lair to find her brother. All her preparations were ready and all she needed to do was give him a copy of the convention schedule so he would know where to be when. Kelly set his clip board down and looked to the She Lair's massive computer monitor.

"Hey, Sheila. Is Guy around?" she asked her digital friend. The computer answered, "Hello, Kelly. Guy's not in the She Lair, I'm afraid. I haven't seen him since this morning."

"Alright. Thanks, Sheila." Kelly gave the AI a polite smile and waved goodbye as she left the lair to search for her twin in the house.

She checked the obvious place first: his room. Then she looked in the living room. Eventually the last place left was the back yard. That was where she found him. Guy was sitting on the edge of the porch with one leg stretched out and hugging the other so he could rest his chin against his knee. Except he wasn't Guy.

This caused her to hurry over to him and fix him with a glare. She propped her fists on her hips and demanded in a whisper, "Guy?! What are you doing sitting on the porch dressed as Shezow?! Mom's home! What if she finds out?!"

"She already knows, Kelly." He replied quietly with a strange calmness. He didn't look at her but instead continued to look out at the sunset. Something about him seemed… off.

"What…?" Kelly asked in confusion.

Her twin sighed and when he spoke there was a distinct sadness in his tone and she was finally picking up on the sorrow that was hanging in the air like a dark cloud, "I told her this morning. Her and dad…"

"Oh…" was all Kelly managed. She sat down next to her brother, bringing her knees up and resting her forearms on them. She looked at him, taking in his somber expression, "… How did they take it…?"

"Mom was supportive… She accepted me… Dad…" Guy squeezed his knee tighter and bit his lower lip, pausing before he continued, his voice now barely a whisper, "He was… quiet… for a long time… then he just… just got up and walked out saying he had to go to work… He's not back yet…"

Kelly frowned. She could tell her sibling was hurting. It was breaking her heart to witness. They may argue sometimes or tease one another but they did still care. She placed a hand on his back and rubbed it in soothing circles to try to make him feel at least a little better.

"Will you be ok?" She asked.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he shifted, leaning on her and resting his head on her shoulder, "I don't know…"


	3. Chapter 3: Moment

**Author Note: I'm finally updating this again. For an update schedule on all my stories check my profile page.**

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Dinner passed in a tense silence as everybody tried to pretend that they weren't staring at the empty chair at the table. Guy glanced over at the space every few minutes, looking dejected, before his turned his attention back to pushing his food around his plate with his fork and tucking a section of his long black hair back behind his ear. Kelly was doing much the same thing except she was actually making an effort to eat at least some of her food. Droosha regarded the chair with a tight disappointed frown.

Eventually the three gave up on dinner.

After the plates were cleared away Droosha got up, which left Kelly and Guy to sit at the table in the awkward quiet. They both glanced at the empty chair again. Then they turned their attention to each other, hazel eyes meeting and passing more emotion and turmoil between them than words ever could. Guy could see all of his worry, doubts, fears and sorrows mirrored in his twin's gaze. They may disagree a lot but at the moment they were completely in sync, on the same page reading the exact same sentence. So they didn't need words.

It felt like hours before either of them spoke, though whether it had actually been as long as it felt was anybody's guess. Time was creeping by at a snail's pace, but since it was not yet dark outside it likely had only been at most fifteen minutes. It was then that somebody finally broke the silence.

Kelly attempted to put on a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Her voice was calm when she spoke yet it held an underlying uncertainty, "I'm sure he just needs time…"

"Yeah…" Guy sighed, looking over at their father's empty chair once more. With how slowly time was creeping along he half expected to see it coated in a layer of dust. He knew his dad needed time to process everything, but how much time? And just because he processed it didn't necessarily mean he would be ok with it. Would any amount of time be enough for his father to accept who he was now?

Guy pushed himself up from his chair, feeling as though gravity had increased a thousand fold since this morning, and turned to leave the dining room.

"I think I'm going to stay in the She Lair tonight…" he informed his sister quietly as he left the room. He began heading in that direction, hearing the sound of his mother's voice grow louder as he got closer to where she was. It sounded like she was on the phone with dad. He didn't pause as his passed but he did catch her reprimanding him for not being at dinner and something about him suddenly taking overtime at work.

* * *

Maz made his way into the She Lair after the sun had dipped below the horizon and the sky had lost most of its color. He had not been present the whole day, having gotten stuck catching up on chores he had missed at his own home. Now, he was eager to spend the night sleeping over at his best friend's place. Over his shoulder he had slung a backpack that contained his pillow, some pajamas, movies and some snacks. He was in high spirits.

"Dude!" Maz called out with a chuckle as he entered the high tech cave with crystal encrusted walls. He walked further in to the room until his noticed Guy sitting in the chair in front of the main area's massive super computer. His friend was completely decked out in his superhero costume and was sunken down in the seat with a pitiful look on his face.

Maz's smile instantly dropped at the sight and his voice took a tone of concern, "Are you ok?"

Guy turned his head to look over at him, sitting up a little more in his chair. It had been quiet when Maz had entered but it was clear that Guy and Sheila had been having a conversation only moments before.

The pink pair of lips that were the super computer's AI turned to look at Maz as well. Then she decided to make herself scarce so that the two friends could talk.

"No," Guy answered honestly, fixing his gaze to the ground before he continued, "but I will be. It's just going to take some time."

Maz set his face into a thoughtful frown and questioned further, "What happened?"

Guy leaned back in his chair and stared up at the dark rocky ceiling over the lair, "I told my parents I'm Shezow. And that I'm not going to be Guy anymore."

For a moment Maz chewed his bottom lip in thought, going over this in his mind. Guy half expected him to ask why. He really did not want to explain it all again but he would if Maz asked. He felt like he owed him an explanation if he wanted one. Maz was his best friend, after all.

To Guy's surprise, however, Maz did not ask. Instead he slid his bag off his shoulder and dropped in on the floor before he knelt and started rummaging through it.

"Dude, that's rough. But I've got just the thing to cheer you up!" the other boy was back to smiling that goofy smile of his and his usual happy-go-lucky over enthusiastic attitude had returned. He pulled both hands out of his bookbag and held up a DVD in one and a bag of chipadillas in the other, "Throw on some PJ's. We're going to pop this baby into the DVD player, scarf some chipadillas and have a sleepover!"

A small but genuine smile touched Guy's face at his best friend's attempt at cheering him up. He knew a movie binge wouldn't make his problems magically disappear but perhaps it would help him forget about them for just a little while. He pushed himself up out of his chair and accessed his ring's Ensemble-izer (see "Sleepless 'n' She-addled") to switch his outfit to one of the pajama modes. In a flurry of sparkles his standard costume became a pair of pink shorts and a pink tanktop with the same darker pink robe the other pajama set had. He stretched his arms and back to ease the mild discomfort from having been practically laying in the hard computer chair for a couple hours and headed over to the platform that held the bean-bag chairs and telly where Maz was already setting up the movie.

The two flopped down on their respective seats and leaned back into the soft upholstery. The movie began and Maz threw him a bag of chipadillas. Guy had cut down significantly on his junk food intake over the last few months, not wanting to upset his she-tabolism again, but he didn't have the heart to tell Maz and reject his offer when they had just started their sleepover. So, he let the bag sit next to him and focus on the movie.

Soon enough the two best friends were laughing, cheering and chattering on. For the moment Guy's troubles were far away. For the moment he wasn't thinking about that morning or his father's reaction. For the moment he wasn't concerned over what the future may be like now. He had his best friend by his side just hanging out and for the moment that made him the happiest kid in the world.

* * *

 **Author Note: The "Ensemble-izer" was introduced in the first and only Shezow comic book when it was used to change his costume into his "super silky sleepware". Part of me was thinking that since it was given a specific name there might be other pajama outfits too and probably a bunch of different clothes to choose from, so i'm going to roll with that assumption.**


	4. Chapter 4: Father

**Author Note: Happy holidays. Here's your present: the monthly update. The chapter is a bit shorter but its an important one and one i'm sure alot of you have been waiting for. So, enjoy.**

* * *

It had been the wrong decision. He had known that almost immediately. That is not the way a father should react, especially to something so important. Box had not known what to say or do though, and he had simply froze. He could not say he was not angry, because he was. He could not say he was not hurt or confused because he was both of those things as well. He could not even say he was ok with it because he was not entirely certain that he was.

It was a lot to process at once. He had found out that his son was somehow Shezow. That had made him feel like an idiot. How had he not seen it or noticed? Now that he thought about it, Guy had not even been that covert with his secret identity and superheroing. He really should have seen it.

Now that he knew there were so many other questions flooding into his mind. How did his son become Shezow in the first place? Shezow had always been female, so when Guy transformed was he then female? How was all of this supposed to work?

So much was running through his head about that first discovery that the second did not even register until later. His son had decided to only be Shezow from now on. For some reason, that had made Boxter feel as though he had been a failure as a parent. Had he done something wrong to make Guy make this choice? Was it his fault? Had he not been around enough to be a proper father figure?

He needed time to think about this, all of it. He knew he could not face Guy just yet without lashing out with the turmoil of emotions swirling around in his brain. So, he did what he thought would be best for both of them and spent more time away at work. It had been simple enough to get more hours. One of his coworkers had been wanting a few days off so all Boxter had to do was agree to cover his hours.

He spent the rest of the night and next morning convincing himself it had been the right choice, only for that delusion to be shattered when he went to work the next day. Just because Boxter was avoiding him and he was going through a massive amount of stress and his own emotional turmoil in no way meant that Guy would be neglecting his superhero duties. That of course meant that Boxter saw Shezow throughout his work day and the sight broke his heart. His son (daughter?) seemed to be on autopilot, going through the motions because he had to without his heart really being in it. Several times Boxter had wanted to drop everything and tell his child that things would be ok, yet something stopped him every time.

A father was supposed to be there for his children. A father was supposed to love them and help them and guide them. What kind of father was he?

After three days he finally made up his mind and had his answer. Boxter was determined to be a good father, which is why he found himself standing right in front of Guy's bedroom door. He raised his hand to knock but stopped before his knuckled made contact. Doubt was setting in and he was tempted to back out. What was he even going to say…?

No. He needed to be the adult, the father. Anything would be better than more nothing.

After a deep breath Boxter gently rapped on the door and waited for a response. Soon enough, he got one.

"Kelly?" a tired voice asked from within the room. Boxter cleared his throat and replied, "No. No, it's me. I think we need to talk."

For a long while there was nothing but tense silence in reply and Boxter began to wonder if Guy was going to answer, or maybe if Guy had just flown out the window to avoid the conversation. Just as he was about to give up and walk away he heard a hesitant "Come in." from beyond the door. Boxter took a moment to wipe the nervousness from his features and display nothing but fatherly caring and acceptance before opening the door and slowly entering the room.

He found Shezow sitting on the bed with hands folded in his lap, looking at the wall to the right, or more precisely, not looking at Boxter. He glanced at the neatly organized room and how strange it seemed to him before making his way carefully over to sit next to his child on the bed.

For what felt like hours the two did nothing but sit there in awkward quiet, neither of them knowing what to say or even how the begin. Boxter had not planned this far ahead. Honestly he had doubted his own resolve and believed he would not make it to knocking on the door in the first place.

He looked up from the floor and turned his gaze to his child, taking in his appearance. The long black hair with the streak of hot pink, the eyeshadow and mascara, the beauty mark, the too-pink superhero costume, the ring that had started everything and lead them to where they were now. At first glance nobody would ever believe that the person sitting there was Guy Hamdon, but upon closer inspection…

Boxter could see it. He could still recognize his child underneath all the cosmetics and sparkles.

In that moment he was certain that he did not love Guy any less. It might take some getting used to and he still had so many questions, but he was certain that everything would end up be ok. He still had no idea what to say, but right now did not seem to be a time for words. Instead, Boxter clapped a hand on his child's shoulder, which caused Guy to start, snapping his head up to look at his father in shock and question. Boxter gave his shoulder a firm reassuring squeeze and a caring smile, conveying his message with his eyes. Then Guy broke, tears streaming down his face. He threw his arms around his father and buried his face in the man's chest, sobbing. Boxter wrapped his arms around his child, hold the boy tight and keeping him safe and warm as his emotions poured out. His presence was a reassurance and a comfort and he was content to stay with his child until they were both certain that everything would be alright.


End file.
